WORLD> Europe
US, allies contemplating action against Russia
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-18 11:24

"We're going to take our time and assess what further consequences there should be to the relationship," Rice said.

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The United States wants to take a tough stance against Russia, but there is much at stake.

"The facts are that the United States has to work with Russia on Iran, on nuclear problems of proliferation, on a whole raft of trade issues at a time in which the United States has a huge domestic deficit," said Sen. Richard Lugar, the senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

And holding open the prospect of taking steps against Russia gives the United States some leverage in pushing Russia to withdraw from Georgia. But nothing is expected to happen in a hurry, and the United States doesn't want to turn the conflict into a fight between the former Cold War rivals.

"There is no need to rush into everything," Gates said. "We don't want to do it unilaterally.

"I think there needs to be a strong, unified response to Russia to send the message that this kind of behavior, characteristic of the Soviet period, has no place in the 21st century," he said.

Asked whether Russia should be kicked out of the Group of Eight major industrialized states, or whether it should be kept from joining the World Trade Organization, Gates replied vaguely, saying the US and its allies can choose from a broad menu of possible punitive steps. Russia already is feeling repercussions, he said.

"The whole world is looking at Russia through a different set of lenses than just a week and a half or two weeks ago, so there are already consequences," Gates said. "I think they may not appreciate the magnitude of those consequences yet. The longer they take to get out and to observe the cease-fire that's been declared and the arrangements that have been worked out, I think the greater those consequences will be."

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Russian troops will begin leaving Monday, but made no mention of leaving the South Ossetia. The Bush administration is hopeful yet skeptical that Russia will honor its pledge to withdraw troops quickly from Georgia under terms of a truce it signed Saturday.

"My own view is that the Russians will probably stall and perhaps take more time than anybody would like," Gates said. "I think we just need to keep the pressure and ensure that they abide by the agreement that they've signed and do so in a timely way."